Exhaust box



A. R. THOMPSON EXHAUST BOX Filed Aua. 18, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Bec, 30. 1924. 1,521,407

A. R. THOMPSON EXHAUST BOX Filed Aug. 18, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Haven i 014.

Dec. 30. 1924. 1,521,497 A. R. THOMPSON EXHAUST BOX Filed Aug. 18, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 O I O 1 r a I :O O lq :i

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UNITED -STATES ALBERT R. THQMPSON, casan Jose, Canacintra, assiettes, fro ANDERSON-BAEN- GBovna-.Mra co.,or`s,an`aosn, causen-nia, .a ooaroaa'rron orcALIrjoBNrA;

EXHAUST BOX.

Application lcd- August 18, 3.922. Serial No. 582,623.

To @ZZ whom t may @0f/wem.'

Beit known thatk I, ALBERT B. THoMrsoN, acitizen of theA UnitedA States, residing at Sanfflose, in the county of Santa Clara and "State of California, have invented certain new and use-full Improvements inlxhaust lBoxes, -ofWhich-the'following is a specification.

My invention relates, generally, to that class of machines or apparatus in lwhich filled ,cans or comestibles are subjected to a treating medium during their' passage through the machine. "Such apparatus under various names accordingto the nature of the treatment, are Well known in the canning art, but for the sake of illustration, I have hereinentitlcd my invention Exhaust-box, as-'indicating a=form of appa- 'ratusby'Which the first cook is applied prior lto the sealing of the cans.

vMy invention relates particularly to that type of machines of this character in Which the Acarrier foradvancingvthe cans through thebox is composed'of a plurality of juxtaposed disks which, 'by their relative rotation, and the lassociation, of directional guidesin1ove the cans successively from one y disk` to' the* next.

1111i this '.,type'of exhaust-box, the more prof nounced endsysought are economy ,in` lfloor lspace'without sacrifice of an extensive can ."path; and also a smooth travel Vof the cans 'WithoutV da-ngel from a possibly impeding surface. In some cases the disks have been arranged in a plurality of lines With the w' guide I rails soyarranged as to direct the cans "f'rorn` one disk to .the next in the line meats '0 ely only one half' the surface areay throughout thefflength of said line, and to v'passnthem from theflast diskinsaid line to ftheiirst disk-infan'adjacent line and back throughout the length of said latter` line, andthenl forward' again in a third line, and so forth. This'typeiof lbox While Well Vadapted forjplural. lines, is poorly arranged li in"`respe'et to securing amaximum path consist'ent lvvithgminimum tioor space, sincev the 4.xpathentering one side of the disk and leavposite side necessarily occupies apnl'othericases lthe disks have .been ar- .rangedfim awsingle unit vcomposed of two rrelatedlines, thegvdisks' in one line of p; ein'g staggeredvvith relation to l Jasset?diskalethe other. lnerf the pair,

and the guide rails so disposed as to direct the cans from a disk in one vline to the.;staggered adjacent disk in the next line,fand back from this disk to the second disk kin the first line, and thence to the second disk in the second line, and so on. 'This' type of box is Well adapted. for the maximum extent of can path, for the reason that the cans entering each risk on one sideI and leaving said disk from the same side, are enabled to pass over nearly the. full surface area of thedisk. It is however not adapted, without important change, for installing in one machine aplurality of these unit pairs of lines, the difiiculty being to provide the system with the proper elements to transfer the cans for a reverse travel in the box from the terminus of one such pair to the begiir ning of a second pair.

My invention contemplates the provision of an apparatus of this general nature in which the advantages of :both types of disk, machines are 'united and preserved, and their disadvantages obviated; and to 4this end my invention consists in the novel box which I shall now fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fig. l is a top plan view of my improved machine, partlylbroken to shovv the driving of the disks, theY cover of' the tank or box being removed.

Fig. QJ-is a cross section of the machine on they line .2-2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a side vieiv taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

l is a frame carrying a tank or box 2 of suitable construction and having a cover 2.

The conveyer, Within the box, comprises horizontally"disposed disks. Theseare disposed in a plurality of parallel, unit pairs of lines, three pairs being' here shown for the sake of illustration.

Describing the first pair, there is a line of disks 3, and a line of disks 3, the disks of the tivo lines being relativelyr staggered and the adjacent disks in eachjline being out of contact `with each other. The entrance disk 3 of the first line, -is peripherally geared by teeth 4 with the irst diskv 3l of the second line and said first disk of thesecond line'is peripherally geared With the second 'disk 3 of the first line. The second-'disk 'of the first line is geared with the second 4'disk of the second line, and' said jlastv namedffdiskis geared with the third disk of the first line, and so on throughout the length of the two lines of the first unit pair. If then the first disk of the first line be rotated counter clockwise the first disk of the second line will rotate clockwise, the second disk of the first line counter clockwise, the second disk of the second line clockwise and so on.

A are spaced can rails or guides, overlying vbut independent of the disks. These guides enter the box around the axis of the entranceVV disk 3 of the first line and thence over .the

inner half of said disk and pass to and around the axis ofthe first disk of the sec-V ond line over approximately its entire superficial area; thence to and about the axis ofy the second disk of the first line; thence to and about the axisof the second disk of the second line, and soon.

It will now be seen that a can placed upon the entrance disk 3 of the first line, between l the guide rails 5, will be delivered'to the first disk of the second line at one side, and will be carried around the axis of said disk and be delivered from the vdisk at the same f side it entered, to the second disk of the first line, and so on back and forth between the two lines of the unit pair, its path being thus of maximum length.

As my present improvement lies in adapting this arrangement of a pair of coaeting Y' Y 3of the second line of the first pair, to the Y j ond pairof disk lines, the disks 3a or inter-related disk-lines for multiple unit pairs, whereby alarge capacity exhaust box is provided and as, obviously, the first line of the second pairv adjacent to but rotatively independentV of the second line of the first pair, must, in order to return the cans in a reverse direction through the box, have its disks, indicated by V3a rotate clockwise, it follows that the can-path cannot pass directly from the clockwiserotating last disk clockwise rotatingfirst disk 3a -of the first- ]line of the Ysecond pair, since these disks both Ythe second pair, which last named disk passes it regularly to the first disk 3b of the second line of said second pair. In this secand 3b are related and geared as in the first pair, the direction ofrotation being correspondingly reversed, whereby the cans are conveyed to the first end of the box, where an- .l ether direction reversing transfer disk R 4 1s used .t0 continue the path @9 il?? third The initial entering disk of the first line Y pair .lies partly without and partly within the box or tank 2, projecting through the can inlet 31 thereof, and the terminal deliirery disk 3C of the last pair, in similar manner, projects through the exit opening 32 of the box or tank, Fig. 1. Y v

Heat is supplied through perforated steam pipes entering the box at 6 and thence to a cross header 7 Vfrom which 4lthey branch at 8 on each side, and at 9 in the middle, and these extend `the length of the box.

In disk boxes of this `natureit is essential that the disks be either level, or better still that they be slightly tilted in a direction toV present a step down from'the delivery edge of one to the receiving edge of theother. Y It is best, therefore, to provide means bywhich they may be adjusted either to a level or, if preferred, tilted in the proper direction to provide a step down,.in either case avoiding a dangerous step up. Y

Means for accomplishing this adjustment are here shown. Eachdisk has a hub 10, as seen in Fig. 2, by which itis mounted for rotation on afixcd spindle 11. 'The spindle at its lower'end is fixedby a set screw 12 in ff the upper endV of' a bearing k13, the foot of which is pivoted on a bolt 14 set in a frame member 15. The mounting is such that the bearing V13 and spindle 11 together with the disk they carry may be tilted, not however,

in the direction of the line of passage of the can path from one disk to the other, but in the direction of the diskline, that' is, paral lel withV the sides of the box. The effect of this inthe arrangement of disks and the to and fro can pathvhere shown, may be seen ifwe assume that the disks 3 of the `first line of the first pair be slightly tilted downward to the right. This will elevate the delivery edge of each of said disks relatively to the receiving edges of the disks ofthe second line of the'first pair, and will depressthe receiving edges of said first lineY disksv relatively to the Ydelivery edges of the second line disks, lthus providing a slight stepdown and. better insuring against any tendencyto a step-up. v

In order to effect and control this tilting movement, kthe foot of the bearing 13 is provided with laterally extending lugs 16 '(Fig. 3) on opposite sides.V In eachl lug is fitted an adjusting screw 17 which bears Vupon the angle frame member 15.l ByV manipulating these screws, by means of a suitable tool in serted through a hole 18 inthe disks, Fig. 1, the disk may betiltedandlocked. f e

On'the vupperv end yof 'the disk spindle 11 is fixed the Atubular top 19 of a bracket 20. Into the top of this bracketis set ascrew cap 21 leaving an underlying' space 22 for spindle lubricant rlhese brackets 20, as shown in Fig. l, are provided with wings 23 to which the can rails 5 are secured.

T he power mechanism to revolve the disks vcomprises a cross shaft 24, Fig. 2, with a controlling clutch lever 25. The shaft 24 has three bevel pinions 26, which mesh on appropriate sides with bevel gears 28 on vertical shafts 27. The upper ends of the shafts 27 carry pinions 29, the latter meshing each with an underlying gear 30 on such of the disks in each unit pair as may be selected to receive the power.

I claim l. In an apparatus of the described chai'- acter, the combination with a box, of a carrier therein comprising a plurality of parallel adjacent units, each unit consisting of two parallel coacting lines of juxtaposed, revoluble, horizontal disks for supporting and advancing the cans; means for rotating the disks of one line of each unit in a direction opposite to the rotation of the disks of the other line of said unit; means for rotating the disks of adjacent units in relatively opposite directions; a revoluble, horizontal can-transfer disk for conveying the cans from the end of one unit to the beginning of the adjacent unit; and means for directing the cans back and forth between the disks of the lines of each unit and to and from the transfer disks.

2. In an apparatus of the described character, the combination with a box, of a cari rier therein comprising a plurality of parallel adjacent units, each unit consisting of two parallel coacting lines of juxtaposed, revoluble, horizontal disks for supporting and advancing the cans; means for rotating the disks of one line of each unit in a direction opposite to the rotation of the disks of the other line of said unit; means for rotating the disks of adjacent units in relatively opposite directions; a revoluble, horizontal can-transfer disk adjacent and functionally related to the final delivery disk of the second line of one unit and the initial receiving disk of the rst line of the adjacent unit; means for rotating said transfer disk in a direction opposite to that of the said final delivery disk and opposite to that of said initial receiving disk; and means for directing the cans back and forth between the disks of the lines of each unit and to and from the transfer disk.

3. In an apparatus of the described character, the combination with a boX of a carrier therein comprising a pair of parallel lines of horizontal juxtaposed revoluble disks for supporting and advancing the cans; means for rotating the disks of one of the lines in a direction opposite to that of the disks in the other lines; means for directing the cans back and forth between the disks of the two lines; and means for tilting each disk in the direction of the line in which it lies.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication.

ALBERT R. THOMPSON. 

